KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian fertility centre has recorded Southeast Asia’s first successful pregnancy following In-Vitro Activation (IVA) treatment, offering renewed hope to women diagnosed with severe fertility conditions such as Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI).
Alpha IVF Group said the breakthrough involved a 33-year-old woman who conceived naturally seven months after undergoing IVA treatment at Alhaya Fertility Centre despite previously being diagnosed with premature menopause due to severe POI.
The centre said patient and her husband had been trying to conceive for more than five years before seeking treatment at the centre for a second opinion after being told elsewhere that her chances of pregnancy were extremely low.
Medical investigations later revealed severe ovarian decline, with critically low ovarian reserve that made natural conception highly unlikely.
The patient was treated by fertility specialist Dr. Wan Syahirah Yang Mohsin, who first conducted ovarian stimulation before proceeding with IVA treatment in July last year after confirming the severity of the condition.
IVA is an advanced fertility technique pioneered by Japanese reproductive medicine specialist Kazuhiro Kawamura and is designed to activate dormant ovarian follicles in selected patients with POI or severely diminished ovarian reserve.
The patient later conceived naturally and is currently approaching 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Wan Syahirah described the outcome as one of the region’s strongest clinical results involving IVA treatment to date.
“This case is especially meaningful because the patient had almost completely lost hope after previously being informed she was approaching early menopause.
“Seeing her return naturally pregnant seven months after IVA treatment was an incredibly emotional moment for both the couple and our medical team,” she said.
The patient, Siti Robiah Arshad, said she and her husband were initially devastated after being told their chances of conceiving were extremely low.
Alpha IVF Group said the breakthrough could be particularly significant in Malaysia and other Muslim-majority countries where egg donation is generally restricted or not widely practised, potentially giving women with POI an opportunity to conceive using their own eggs.
